


A Wolf In White Lace

by sarcastic_fina



Category: Glee
Genre: F/M, Sexual Content, coarse language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-07 03:18:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/426356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcastic_fina/pseuds/sarcastic_fina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So you have a choice here, Noah…" She reached for the end of his shirt and tugged on it lightly. "You either let the wolf eat you, or you let Finn, in his very hunter-esque position, get between us…"</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Wolf In White Lace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AvaRosier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaRosier/gifts).



Noah Puckerman was the biggest BAMF in Lima, Ohio; but most wouldn't know that if they were aware of his destination today.  
  
Nana Connie's.  
  
The littlest old Jewish lady in the whole damn town, with a heart of gold and a quick, scathing tongue that took most unawares. Puck believed that when his nana was younger, she was a hellraiser; as mischievous as she told him he was since he first got his 'hawk. She probably wasn't as  _promiscuous_ as he was; in fact, he chose to believe that despite the fact that she brought his dad and three crazy aunts into the world, she was a white haired virgin if there ever was one. There were other ways to cause trouble; vandalism, theft, generally standing up when people said to sit down. His nana was a loud and proud woman, even more so than his ma.  
  
So it didn't bug him much to go and see her, even if she was a complicated walk through the old, creepy woods, where he now regretted telling so many kids a whole shitload of bodies were buried. He'd walked the path a thousand times before, knew it like the back of his hand. It never  _scared_ him; that was part of the reason he got such a kick out of telling murder mystery stories to Finn until he legit took another route to Puck's house just so he could avoid driving past the old woods. It was late though, and he couldn't remember ever going out this way so late at night. The sun had already begun to set, painting the town a pale blue.  
  
As he stepped beneath the crowded tree boughs, their gnarled arms reaching every which way, shrouding even the glow of the moon from lighting his way, he felt a shiver run down his spine. The wind whispered through the trees, singing an eerie, warning song. Jaw ticking, he glanced back over his shoulder, a brief moment of reconsideration. Maybe he could come back in the day, when the woods didn't look they would eat him alive. His pride got the better of him, however, and he quickly stomped forward, heavy boots crunching twigs beneath him. The dirt path was only wide enough for two people to walk comfortably side by side; the way it wound through the trees would make it difficult for vehicles even if they  _could_ manage through. No way was his truck roughing it through here; even his ma's beat-up station wagon would have a hard time with it.  
  
As he stepped through, the darkness crowded him. He squinted, but it did little to clear the way for him. Taking out his iPhone, he muttered to himself, "There's an App for that," before chuckling, and holding up his 'lantern lit' screen to guide his way.  
  
He walked forward, repeating the mantra in his head that badasses didn't get scared. His eyes began to adapt to the dark and the glow of his phone lit up a few feet ahead of him. As long as he stayed on the path, he'd be there in no time. He quickened his steps still.  
  
The nearby hooting of an owl caught his attention and he nearly stumbled, his head turning swiftly toward the noise. But he couldn't pinpoint exactly where it came from. He glared at the tree branches, searching for yellow eyes, but found nothing. There was a rustling to his right, in the bushes or the trees, he couldn't tell. But he knew there was something out there, maybe more than just one thing. Hell, he was surrounded by the freaking woods! There were probably tons of little creatures just waiting to get a bite out of his bad ass.  
  
He muttered under his breath, cursing the fact that his ma guilted him into this trip. "She's your  _nana_ , Noah! You don't know how many years she has left! What if she dies in the night, hm?" he mimicked his mother's reprimanding. "Is it too much to ask that you go and see her? Visit? Make sure she hasn't coughed herself to death? Huh? You can't be a good grandson for a little while?"  
  
He snorted, rolling his eyes.  
  
He loved his nana, he really did. But he wouldn't be trudging through the dark ass woods if it wasn't for the fact that she was sick. That thought made his feet hurry up, the crunch and snap of twigs crumbling beneath his every, clomping step.  
  
Connie was no spring chicken and death was just one of those things; happened to everyone eventually. But this was his nana, and she probably had more to do with him shaping up and being a better man than his ma ever did. When he was growing up and screwing up and couldn't do anything right for his mother, his nana was always there to tell him that she knew he would make her proud. That he had it in him to be better than his father was. And yeah, it took him a damn long time, but he was really on the right track now.  
  
No cougars.  
  
No napping instead of going to Math.  
  
No stealing ATM's; or anything else, really.  
  
No pregnant best friend's girlfriend.  
  
He frowned, deciding he might have to reevaluate that last one. No, Rachel wasn't pregnant and they hadn't hooked up, but that didn't mean Puck didn't want her, which he figured was still on the betrayal scale somehow. And yeah, technically, she wasn't Finn's anymore. Not since she got into NYADA and told Finn that, much as she loved him, she really couldn't give up her dreams of New York and Broadway to stick around in Lima. And when she asked him to come with her, he'd been unbending. New York wasn't the place for Hudson, and he knew it. So it'd been three months since Rachel was on the market again, but Puck hadn't made one damn move. Why? Because he still considered Rachel Finn's, and that meant he had to keep his paws to himself. Even if he'd spent the last year thinking he could be a helluva lot better for her; a better leading man, a better boyfriend, a better person to share her life and her dreams with.  
  
And yeah, she'd sent him a few signs that she felt that way too. Ever since he mentioned he'd gotten a few different acceptance letters from schools in New York and she realized that not only would he be getting out of Lima like he'd always planned, but that he'd be near enough to share in her life too. So maybe it'd been in the back of his head the whole time, some part of him hoping that Finn would slip up or show her that he wasn't headed for New York, so he could be there waiting, showing her that he was what she needed.  
  
The timing wasn't right yet. Three months wasn't much, not when it came to the Finchel show. And on top of that, they still had a month and a half of school left and two more months before New York. So Finn had time to change his mind or even  _Rachel_ 's. Though Puck really, seriously hoped she didn't make the mistake of actually sticking around and choosing Finn over Broadway. Not after all her hard work, all of her dreaming; not when it was so damn close.  
  
He shook his head. He needed to quit thinking about it. He was getting his hopes up for shit that probably wasn't going to happen. If Rachel was looking at him differently it was probably because he was her go-to heart-mender. If Finn messed up, she cried on his shoulder. If she felt underappreciated in Glee, she ranted to him. If somebody made the mistake of tossing a slushee in her face, she borrowed one of his shirts when she forgot an extra set of clothes, or even let him wash it from her hair when she was really upset and her pride didn't get in the way. And when she was upset that Finn looked at somebody else, or when she needed to feel wanted, she fell into his arms. He'd been avoiding that for three months; avoiding being her rebound guy. He couldn't with her.  
  
He stopped suddenly, his brows furrowed and his head turned as he focused on his hearing. The heavy sound of something coming from behind him, or was it in front of him, hell maybe it was  _circling_ him. Noise filled his ears, like bounding footsteps coming up fast. His heart leapt up into his throat as he imagined a whole host of different creatures, most of them not even native to Lima. His imagination was kicked into overdrive, leaving him helpless to the salivating, out-for-blood beasts that were about to pounce on him and chew his heart right out of his chest. His steps quickened until he broke out into a full out run, arms pumping, throwing the glow of his phone off so he could hardly see where it was he was headed. A cold sweat dotted his skin and he swore he felt a burst of hot breath at the nape of his neck.  
  
"Fuck, fuck, holy fuck," he cursed as he ran, squinting ahead, almost sure that he could see his nana's house in the distance. If he made it out of this, he was gonna make her move in with them. Fuck living in the woods; fuck nature; fuck all of it. She was moving in. She could have his damn bed if she wanted it. He'd sleep on the freaking  _couch_  'til September.  
  
Darting right, almost sure he'd lost it, whatever it was, he leaned back against a tree to try and catch his breath, desperately wishing his panting didn't sound like drums in his ears.  
  
Something clamped onto his shoulder and he flinched, crying out in the  _least_ badass way possible, stumbling over his feet and away from whatever had caught him.  
  
"Noah, it's just me!" replied a familiar, female voice.  
  
Relief flooded him. Hands on his knees, body shaking with adrenaline, he lifted his head and squinted in the dark. He turned his phone over for a better look, only to see a smiling Rachel Berry staring back at him.  
  
"What the  _actual_ fuck, Rachel!" he yelled, pressing a hand to his pounding heart. "I thought you were a wolf or something!"  
  
Her brows furrowed. "Noah, there aren't any wolves in Lima… True, there used to be a fairly large Eastern Timber Wolf population in Ohio, but they were driven out by farmers and settlers around the later 1850's. Now  _coyote's_ on the other hand…" She nodded. "Ohio's got a fair few of those. Along with black bears. Although I haven't heard of many sightings here in Lima…"  
  
"Thanks for the History lesson," he sneered, still pissed she scared the living shit out of him. "What the hell are you doing out here anyway?"  
  
Her eyes darted away before she forced a light tone, "Oh, I dropped by your house with some baked goods and your mother casually mentioned you were on your way to visit your nana…" She brightened with a smile. "Since I heard Connie was sick, I thought it would only make sense to tag along." She held out a basket for him. "Here, you can say they're from you."  
  
He took the wicker basket and then frowned down at it. "Anybody sees me with this thing and I'll never live it down."  
  
She raised an amused brow. "The only things around to see you out here are the trees and wild animals…" She smiled suddenly. "Although, now that you mentioned it, with that red hoodie of yours and that basket, you do resemble Little Red Riding Hood…"  
  
"Thanks, you're really helping." He rolled his eyes. "Not only did I just scream like a little girl, but I look like one too."  
  
Her laugh made his gut do funny things; clenching and flipping until he felt almost nauseous, entirely too aware of her.  
  
"Y'know, even without the rabid wolves to eat you up, these woods are dangerous…" He looked her over, taking in the white lace dress she wore, a grey fur poncho hugging her shoulders that he knew had to be fake 'cause she was big on animal rights and shit, and blue knee socks with gold stars stitched into them. She looked pretty, as usual, and all too sweet and innocent. "You shouldn't be out here alone."  
  
"Said the guy who had only his iPhone and his sense of direction to keep him from being some imaginary wolf's dinner." She licked her lips dramatically, flashing her eyes at him. "And already you managed to wander off the path," she told him, tisking as she shook her head.  
  
Brows furrowed as he looked around, he realized she was right. While he was running, he hadn't been paying attention, and despite looking every which way and holding up his phone for better light, he couldn't see where the path was. "Your fault," he decided, sighing. "Ma bitched at me twice to stay on the path and I  _was_ … 'Til you came chasing after me."  
  
She shrugged. "No point in complaining now." She walked closer and tapped his phone. "Don't you have GPS?"  
  
Rolling his eyes for not thinking of it himself, he turned his phone over and brought up his GPS. Unfortunately, maybe it was the crap signal or the trees, but he wasn't getting any help. "Shit outta luck, Princess," he muttered. "Now we're gonna die in the woods and get gnawed on by coyotes."  
  
"And they call  _me_ dramatic," she returned before passing him by. She turned back, raised a brow, and said in an inviting tone, "Come along, Noah… We'll find our way to your Nana's…"  
  
His eyes narrowed after her. "And how the hell do you know the way?"  
  
She laughed; a full, rich, musical sound that seemed to echo around them. When she looked back, she was smiling, and he hardly needed the light of his phone to see the flash of perfect white teeth. "Don't you trust me?"  
  
He swallowed tightly, gaze wandering from her mouth back to her eyes. Stubbornly, he told her, "This isn't music related, Rach. If I needed help on a song or an idea for a dance routine, I'd hit you up no problems… But you're not exactly a Girl Scout…"  
  
She shook her head, dark hair bouncing at her shoulders. "Maybe not… But this isn't my first time walking through these woods…" She brushed a branch out of her way and easily climbed over a mossy fallen tree. "Are we going to see your sick nana or are you going to wait for a  _real_ wild animal to come calling?"  
  
He cursed under his breath and followed after her, stupid picnic basket in hand.  
  
It was a few minutes with her walking just a couple steps ahead of him, looking perfectly at ease with the crawling shadows that highlighted her and the eerie noise of the unseen creatures all around them. For awhile, he just stared at her legs, deceptively long, with grey, furry, laced up boots on her tiny dancer's feet. He followed her legs up to her swaying hips and amazing ass. And when he realized his line of sight was only going to get him in trouble, he finally cleared his throat and forced his gaze away.  
  
"So how often do you hang around these woods, anyway?" he wondered, eyes bouncing around, as if he thought he could spot whatever might be watching them, following them, making easy prey of a couple teenagers.  
  
She looked over at him. "Is that a line?"  
  
His lips twitched. "Yeah. Come here often?" he asked teasingly.  
  
She grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "More than you think…"  
  
"You've got the mystery thing down pat, Berry," he told her, hurrying his steps to catch up to her. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were playing with me…" He cocked a brow down at her.  
  
She turned her head to him, her soft, shiny hair sliding over her shoulder slowly. Her lashes lifted delicately, big brown eyes staring up at him. "And if I were?"  
  
His lips curled in a dark smile. "If anybody's the big bad wolf in this, it'd be me…"  
  
Reaching for him, she tugged on the string of his hoodie before letting her hand drag across his chest; he felt his heart skitter in reply. "Don't be so sure." With a wink, she twirled on her heel and continued on past him, skipping lightly, as though they weren't lost in the woods, with no phone to call for help and no idea where they were headed. In fact, if Puck hadn't been so entranced by the way her dress bounced against her thighs, he might've been more worried about their predicament. And that, he thought, was one hell of a distraction technique.  
  
When he caught up, he was digging in the basket. "Is this all vegan crap?" he wondered.  
  
Rachel smiled slightly. "It's delicious," was all she said.  
  
"'m starved," he muttered. "Ma sent me out before dinner was ready…" His stomach gave a grumble as if to back him up. "C'mon. Nana'll be suspicious if I bring 'em all to her anyway."  
  
Rolling her eyes, she reached into the basket and produced a plastic covered square. "Here," she told him, dropping a thick slice of honey cake in his hand. "There are some apricot walnut rugelach in there too."  
  
"No way…" He raised a brow at her. "Wait, why were you bringing these over to my place?"  
  
Knotting her fingers together, she turned her head forward once more. "No reason…" She shrugged. "I just thought you'd appreciate them."  
  
Taking a giant bite out of his cake, he moaned, nodding. "Damn straight… Your baking's awesome!"  
  
She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Thank you."  
  
"Legit, after you win your Tony, if you wanna retire or something, open a bakery…" He pointed at himself with his thumb before licking it clean. "Best customer, right here."  
  
She laughed, ducking her head. "Yes, well, since you'll  _be_ in New York, I don't doubt that."  
  
Digging in the basket for the rugelach, he nodded. "Yeah, I'll probably be front row and center at your Broadway debut, too…" He bumped her shoulder. "Maybe I'll bake  _you_ something."  
  
She wrinkled her nose. "Noah, don't take this the wrong way, but I've seen your baking skills… If it wasn't for the marijuana you put in those baked goods, they'd be inedible."  
  
He shrugged, not at all offended. "Fine, so I'll bring you something else…" He smiled, reaching down and plucking a few wildflowers up and handing them over. "Like these."  
  
Rachel took the three outstretched flowers, or more likely  _weeds_ , from his hand, and hugged them to her chest as though they were the prettiest of daisies.  
  
"I'll just be happy to have a familiar face cheering me on," she told him, but pet the petals of her flowers anyway.  
  
"You'll have that," he promised, before hopping up on top of a fallen log and reaching back to help her up too. "I'll be the loudest one there too. Might even stand on my seat."  
  
She laughed warmly, taking his hand and balancing on one foot atop the tree, her other popped up daintily. Bowing her head, she told him, "I appreciate the enthusiasm."  
  
He grinned proudly, casting his eyes around the dark woods, searching out the glow of his nana's home, but saw nothing. When he felt a cold drop land on his face, he directed his eyes up and frowned. Great, looked like rain was coming. "You sure we're going the right way?" he wondered, hopping down to the ground below. If a downpour started, they were going to have to hide out at his nana's for awhile; the woods became a swamp when it rained.  
  
She looked over at him. "Of course," she said simply, taking his hand for balance once more as she climbed down.  
  
He stared at her as they walked. "Seriously, why would you hang around the woods?"  
  
"Honestly…?"  
  
He raised a brow as if to say  _duh_ .  
  
"Well, when I was younger, I'd use the woods to avoid would-be bullies… I spent hours wandering around. I always feel safe here…" She lifted a shoulder, a gentle breeze making the fake fur of her shoulder-coat rustle. "Everybody was afraid of the woods."  
  
"Yeah…" He smirked. "I told them Old Man Jacobs buried the bodies of his family in here… And sometimes, he'd go crazy and kill kids that looked just like his…"  
  
Rachel turned to frown at him. "Michael Jacobs doesn't  _have_ any family… He's never been married and didn't have any children."  
  
" _They_ didn't know that…" He rolled his eyes. "All they knew was he was a weird, crazy, old dude."  
  
"No- _ah!_ " she cried, slapping his arm.  
  
He snorted. "What?" Shaking his head, he reminded, "Hey, if I hadn't let that get around, they probably would've chased you in here too…"  
  
After a moment, she said allowingly, " _True_ …" She shook her head, smiling to herself. "A knight in shining armor before you even knew it… What other surprises do you have left, Noah Puckerman?"  
  
His lips drew down. "Don't do that."  
  
"Do what?" she wondered.  
  
"Put me on some pedestal…" He kicked debris and foliage aimlessly. "You and I both know I don't belong there… And look, much as I like the ego boost, I'm not down for being your pick-me-up again…" He ground his teeth, glaring off into the darkness ahead of them. "I'm always your back-up and I'm tired of it."  
  
She paused in her steps to stare up at him as he walked by. "Noah, my complimenting you has nothing to do with Finn…"  
  
He snorted disbelievingly and shook his head.  
  
Grabbing the sleeve of his hoodie, she tugged him around to face her. "What is so hard to believe about me thinking that you're a genuinely good person? Yes, it was inadvertent then, but you've shown more courage and growth than anybody else in glee club…" She squeezed his bicep and tried to catch his eyes as she said sincerely, "And I admire you for that."  
  
He shrugged her hand off. "Yeah, right  _now_ you do…" He finally looked her in the eyes, his brows furrowed angrily. "But what happens when Finn changes his mind? Or  _you_ do…? Then I'm just Puck again." He threw his hand up, his other gripping the basket painfully tight. " _Good ol' Puck._ " He laughed sarcastically. "The guy you kiss or your fool around with or jump into the arms of whenever your  _perfect_ leading man isn't available or isn't living up to your standards…"  
  
Eyes narrowed, she stared hard at him before stabbing a finger at his chest. "What I feel for you has nothing to do with what happened between Finn and me."  
  
He opened his mouth to interrupt, but she waved a hand to cut him off.  
  
"Now maybe I haven't been obvious about how my feelings have changed and maybe you have every reason to think that it's too fast. Maybe there  _are_  residual feelings for Finn. I can't help that! He was my first love…" She shook her head, her long dark hair spilling over her shoulders. "But that doesn't mean that I don't notice what a good person you are. That I don't see how hard you've tried to get your grades up and to show your mother and your nana and everybody who  _ever_ doubted you that you are more than they could ever believe possible…"  
  
Puck swallowed thickly, his eyes on her face uncertainly.  
  
She stared back searchingly. "It doesn't mean that I don't still find that overcompensating bad-boy streak of yours attractive or that I don't relish the moments you let  _Noah_ , the nicer and sweeter side of you, shine through…" She balled her hands up into fists. "And it doesn't mean that I can't spend hours making up a New York survival kit for you, equipped with various Google Maps printouts telling you the fastest way to get to NYADA from  _every_ school you applied to. Or that I haven't spent the last two weeks figuring out your schedule so I can make sure that whenever you leave class, I'm the first person you see. Or that I don't visit 7-Eleven every day and loiter by the slushee machine in the hopes you might drop by." She laughed, blinking her eyes furiously against a sheen of tears. "It doesn't mean I can't spend my  _entire_ Saturday baking everything under the sun in the hopes that the old saying of the way to a man's heart is through his stomach might _actually_ be true. Or that I won't go traipsing through the woods after him, with no flashlight and no idea how far ahead or behind he might be, so I can spend just a  _few_  minutes in his presence, hoping against hope, that he might return even a _fraction_ of those feelings…" Her lips trembled and she licked them, casting her eyes down. "Just do me a favor, Noah, and don't pretend that you know what my intentions or my feelings are… Because I'm well aware of them myself."  
  
Turning around, she hurried forward, batting a branch out of her face. "And before you accuse me of acting like some kind of stalker who was purposely trying to get you turned around so I might be able to spend more  _pointless_ time with you…" She held the branch back. "We've made it to Connie's," she announced, showing him his nana's lit up little house. Smoothing out her dress, she lifted her chin proudly and told him, "I will call my daddy to come get me. I'm sure he'll have an easier time following the path with a flashlight. And you won't have to worry about me  _forcing_ my unwanted attentions on you in a bid to forget Finn  _anymore!_ " Not waiting for a reply, she turned and fled toward his nana's.  
  
Cursing under his breath, a little confused and a lot stunned, Puck set off after her. He cringed as he moved, the rain picking up and splattering down atop his head, dribbling down his neck, dampening his red hoodie quickly. When he finally reached her, she was standing in front of his nana's house, hand on the door handle.  
  
"Ever heard of knocking?" he wondered.  
  
She took the note off the door and passed it to him. "She left… It says she's staying with a friend while she's sick so your mother won't try to convince her to move into a rest home… She must've been expecting you."  
  
A crack of thunder boomed around them and Puck hunched his shoulders.  
  
Rachel pushed the door to the cabin open and walked inside.  
  
"Hey, we can't just go in her house," he argued.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Noah, trespassing is one of your favorite past times…" She walked past him inside. "And I need the phone. I'm sure she won't mind. It's not as if I plan on staying."  
  
Jaw ticking, he followed after her, sighing as he closed the door with his heel. "Yeah, well, with the rain picking up, you might have to."  
  
She pursed her lips at him, crossing to the phone dismissively.  
  
"Seriously, the ground turns into a swamp when it rains… Probably lose you in the mud and then our chances at Nationals are for shit."  
  
She cast him a withering look. "Your concern is overwhelming," she muttered sarcastically.  
  
Halfway through dialing the phone, however, they heard a crash and the lights flashed once, twice, before going out entirely.  
  
Rachel held the phone to her ear and frowned. "It's dead," she told him.  
  
Puck sighed, casting his eyes around. "Look, we can't head back out in that." He could hear the wind rattling the shutters and the rain whipping at the windows.  
  
Turning on her heel, she wandered around thoughtfully. "Does your nana live alone?" she asked.  
  
"Her husband Ephraim died when I was little… He built this place for her." He shrugged. "She's been alone since."  
  
Nodding, she walked around, trailing her fingers over random things. "Well… If we plan on staying…" She twirled to look at him, her dress spinning out around her and landing lightly against her legs. She raised a brow, lips curled at the corners. "We should light a fire…" Her face lit up. "And maybe some candles…" She dug into her basket and produced a twelve-pack of tea candles.  
  
He watched her, brows furrowed.  
  
Not bothering to explain, she instead handed him the fire pick and held a hand out. "Lighter," she said simply.  
  
Grumbling, he dug one out of his pocket and handed it over.  
  
Placing them in random places around the living room, she lit each until a warm glow filled the living room.  
  
Finally, she handed it back to him where he crouched next to the fire place, piling up logs and balling up a piece of paper.  
  
He took it from her outstretched hand and got to work. It wasn't long before he had a fire roaring and stood up, wiping his hands clean and smirking proudly over his accomplishment.  
  
Rachel stared at him a long moment from where she stood across the living room. Lifting her chin determinedly, she began to walk toward him.  
  
He watched her, mouth suddenly dry.  
  
Her hips swayed side to side and her hands rose to faintly run across the grey fur atop her shoulders. When she stopped in front of him, he stared, breath leaving him in quick, jagged exhales. She reached for the end of his hoodie and smoothly lifted it up his body. When he raised a brow, she said, "It's wet… I wouldn't want you to get a chill…" She drew it up and over his head, tugging it down each of his arms. Finally she laid it out over a chair and stepped back. Circling him, she fingered the very edge of his grey t-shirt. "Dry enough?" she wondered.  
  
He cleared his throat, turning his head to watch her. "'m good."  
  
He felt her nail drag along his side and he jumped, his hands balling into fists.  
  
"What're you doin'?" he wondered, eyes narrowed.  
  
She smiled slowly. "Are you nervous, Noah?" she asked, turning her back to him and wandering a few feet away. Pausing, she turned her head back over her shoulder, her dark hair swinging. "I thought you were the big bad wolf in this story…?"  
  
His feet shifted.  
  
Rachel reached for the tie on her fur shrug and began undoing it. "We should get more comfortable… Who knows how long we'll be here?" She shrugged her shoulders and the fur slid down slowly, gliding along her tanned skin. The glow of the candles and the flickering fire lit her up, dancing in her eyes, making the hollows of her face and her throat stand out.  
  
She looked fierce, and when she smiled, her teeth a pearly, perfect white, seemed to flash like a smirking warning.  
  
Her fur swayed at the small of her back, hanging off the curves off her arms.  
  
"Now… Since we have no idea how long the rain's going to last and we have all this food anyway… Why don't we make a night of it?" She raised a brow. "Unless you'd like to pick up our argument where we left off?"  
  
He licked his lips and shook his head.  
  
"Good…" She turned around to face him fully. "Because if I have my way, you'll change your mind on me."  
  
His jaw flexed, eyes turning away.  
  
Rachel picked up the discarded basket and after spreading out a soft throw blanket from the couch, she knelt down and placed the basket on the floor next to her. She focused on digging through what was inside, apparently looking for something in particular. "Are you hungry, Noah?"  
  
He kicked his boots off at the door, distantly remembering how his nana would slap him upside the head if he didn't. Taking a seat across from Rachel, he tried to focus on the basket and not the girl. Even if her lace dress had slipped up high on her legs, revealing a whole lot of smooth, naked skin.  
  
"Did you ever read Little Red Riding Hood, Noah?" she wondered, still digging in the basket.  
  
He quirked a brow. "Yeah, sure, who hasn't?"  
  
"Do you remember what happens?"  
  
He frowned, scrubbing a hand over his 'hawk. "Wolf meets Red in the woods, she's wandered off the path or whatever… She's going to see her sick grandma, bring her some food… When he finds out the old lady's alone, he goes ahead and like, eats her… And not in the good way."  
  
Rachel's lips twitched.  
  
"And then Red shows up and he tricks her into thinking he's her grandma. But she keeps noticing how big he is and shit. Like his hands and his eyes. I mean, the fur should be a dead give away, but whatever, maybe grandma's got some whiskers…" He shrugged. "Eventually the wolf eats Red, but some hunter dude finds him and hacks him up with his axe, getting her out of his stomach."  
  
Nodding, Rachel held out another square of honey cake to him while she dug out a container of what looked like chocolate sauce, along with a bowl of strawberries. "Mmhmm," she said, swirling her finger in the sauce before she brought it to her lips to lick clean. As she dipped a finger in once more, her eyes rose up and caught his.  
  
He was staring, watching her delicate little finger be coated.  
  
She held it out to him and without thinking, Puck leaned in and wrapped his lips around it, tongue dragging along the rich chocolate.  
  
Her lips twitched in a smile. "My, what a talented tongue you have…" she murmured.  
  
His eyes flashed and he drew back, licking his lips clean. "So you plan on changing my mind with chocolate?"  
  
She laughed lightly before rising up to her knees and leaning toward him. "Oh, Noah…" She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. "You should know by now that I do my research…" She shook her head, wrinkling her nose. "Who do you think put the bug in your mother's ear to get you to come visit your nana?"  
  
His brows furrowed.  
  
She crawled closer to him, leaning in close. "Did you know Connie was good friends with Mrs. Aaronson?" she wondered. "It was easy to convince her to invite Connie over. She's been so sick and everybody at temple's been talking about it… What with her living so far out of reach in these woods…" Her eyes danced over his face. "Now I'll admit that I wasn't expecting your quick rejection…" She pursed her lips. "I even reconsidered my plan… But I take a sign when I get one and the phone going out when it did? Now that's practically God telling me himself…" She smiled. "This, right here, has nothing to do with Finn Hudson…" She stared at him searchingly. "So you have a choice here, Noah…" She reached for the end of his shirt and tugged on it lightly. "You either let the wolf eat you, or you let Finn, in his very hunter-esque position, get between us…"  
  
Puck stared at her a long moment, his heart thudding hard in his chest.  
  
Finally, he reached down to take her hand in his, smoothing his fingers over hers. Eyes on hers, he murmured, "My, what soft hands you have…"  
  
Her face lit up with a triumphant grin. Smoothing her hand over his and up his forearm, nails skittering over the pulse at his wrist, she replied. "The better to touch you with, my dear…" She briefly squeezed his bicep before her hand wandered up over his shoulder. Her eyes followed as her fingers dragged down his neck, lightly scraping his skin, until finally they slid around to curl in the tail of his 'hawk and her gaze returned to his.  
  
He stared at her mouth, where her white teeth were biting into her pink lip. "What full lips you have…" he said, leaning in close.  
  
He could feel a puff of warm air against his mouth just before she whispered, "The better to kiss you with." Her lips slanted across his, hard and deep. His eyes fell shut, brows furrowed, as he fell into the familiar feeling of her mouth fitting against his. She pressed in closer to him, flattening a hand to his face as she sipped at his lips, her tongue reaching out and dabbing his, curling along the roof of his mouth, reaching and dancing away before he could distract her too much. She tasted like warm honey and he waited impatiently for— He grinned as she bit him, nibbling lightly at his lip like she always did.  
  
He gripped her shoulders in his hands and pulled her closer.  
  
She climbed into his lap easily and his head tipped back to accommodate the new angle. Her legs wrapped around his waist and squeezed while her nails dragged down either side of his head.  
  
When she broke away from his mouth, panting, he smoothed a hand up her leg, beneath the cover of her lace dress, kneading at her soft thighs. "What long legs you have," he said, skittering his fingers behind her knee.  
  
Her breath stuttered and she stared into his eyes as she breathed, "The better to ride you with."  
  
He felt his entire body heat up, blood rushing desperately, and he leaned her back, flat against the blanket on the floor, covering her small, curvy body with his own. For a moment, with her legs hiked high on his hips, dress falling low, revealing the pale pink of her underwear beneath, he just stared, thinking to himself just how many times he'd imagined a moment like this. How many nights he'd been in bed alone, thinking of her, his hand wrapped tight around his dick, with her face and her name and the memory of her lips his only help. Only this was real;  _she_ was real. He pressed himself into the apex of her thighs, rubbing the hard bulge beneath his jeans against her. She cried out, eyes fluttering, and gripped his hair tight.  
  
"Noah," she gasped, her free hand sliding beneath his t-shirt and tugging it up.  
  
He kept pausing, even though she was initiating everything; kept waiting for her to suddenly hit the brakes. And he'd stop, he knew he would; he just didn't want to get his hopes up too much. But she reached behind him and gripped the back of his shirt, pulling it up and off and tossing it away without an ounce of trepidation. He leaned down once more and found her mouth; her lips were so damn soft. For a long few minutes, all he did was run his hands over her pliant body, wherever bare skin prevailed. She rocked her hips up into him, wanting that same friction he'd given her. His zipper felt ready to bust; every time she moved, he had to grit his teeth. He was close; too close. And she wasn't helping matters; covering one of his hands, she led it to the side zipper of her dress.  
  
He paused, staring at her uncertainly. She stared back steadily and his fingers shook. He wanted to ask –  _are you sure about this?_  – but the words were stuck in his throat. Because he was afraid that if he asked, a light bulb would go off in her head, and she'd crawl out from beneath him and realize that it wasn't what she wanted;  _he_ wasn't what she wanted.  
  
She surprised him by drawing the zipper down herself, shrugging the sleeves off her shoulders, and pushing the fabric down to her waist.  
  
Not wearing a bra beneath, her bare tits heaved up before his eyes. The cool air and the light of the fire danced over her small chest, pebbling her nipples. Suddenly, he didn't care about going slow anymore; about talking her out of what he figured had to be a mistake. All he knew was Rachel's boobs were in front of him; her naked, awesome boobs. He covered one with his hand, kneading, rolling and flicking the center with his thumb. He dropped his face down to the other and dragged his chin across it, faint whiskers rubbing her sensitive skin until she jerked against him, a breathy whimper leaving her. He grinned in satisfaction. Finally he let his tongue flatten across it, and his lips close around the berry-sized nipple standing for his attention. He suckled, his teeth lightly dragging, paying all of his attention to how it felt on his tongue, how she arched up into his mouth. He filed it all away in his head; the noises she made, the way her body moved, how her skin smelled faintly of flowers, all of it.  
  
She flipped him over before he could switch sides, straddling his stomach and grinning down at him. Leaning forward, she pinned his hands down to the floor and let her hair fall to curtain their faces. She bypassed his mouth to kiss his chin, lightly nipping before she ducked her face to his neck. Her tongue slowly traced the lines of his throat, circling his Adam's apple, dragging along his collar bones. He swallowed tightly as the ends of her hair slipped over his shoulders and brushed his face. She pressed soft, brief kisses down his chest, her hands sliding down his arms, fingers tracing random patterns as she moved. He lifted his head to watch her as she flicked his nipple ring with her tongue and traced the ridges of his abdomen with the tip of her nose. Her eyes rose up and met his as she nibbled her way down the dark trail of hair leading from his navel, all while her fingers made quick work of the zipper of his jeans.  
  
As she sat back up, she drew her dress up and off her completely, leaving her in nothing but her grey fur boots. "I am at a _severe_ disadvantage clothing wise," she told him, parting his jeans and sliding her hand inside. "Or maybe not as much as I expected…" she murmured, brow lifted.  
  
He smirked. What? He loved going commando. Easy access.  
  
As her fingers slid across his shaft, he took in a deep, sharp breath and clenched his teeth.  
  
"Did you want these off?" she asked, tugging the belt loop of his jeans.  
  
He stared up at her. When the hell'd Rachel Berry become a damn temptress? Yeah, okay, so her tiny ass skirts gave him constant wood and he had an on-going fantasy of flipping them up one day and sinking into her from behind while she wore nothing but her skirt and her knee socks. But he didn't think she really  _meant_ to do that.  _This_ … Teasing him like she was. This was different; this was on  _purpose_ .  
  
And he really fucking liked it.  
  
She rose up on her knees and tugged his jeans down his hips as he lifted them. He kicked them free and she sat back down on his stomach; he could feel the damp fabric of her panties and his hands moved quickly to grip her thighs, spreading them further apart. He stared a long moment, his throat almost painfully tight, his heart pounding in his ears. Licking his lips, he ground out, "What a wet pussy you have…"  
  
She dragged her tongue over her teeth and, covering his hands in hers, drew his fingers along the inside of her thighs. "The better to take you with."  
  
His dick twitched, every muscle in his body tightened almost painfully. She looped his fingers along the sides of her underwear and he tugged them off her, one leg lifting at a time. Until she was bare and open and naked, sitting on top of him, with just her dark hair falling, the ends curling against her breasts.  
  
One of his hands slid up her stomach, her skin insanely soft. He smoothed his fingers between her boobs, rubbing the curve of one with his thumb. He finally fit his palm over her tit at the same time his other hand slid down and cupped her wet heat. She was bracing herself on his chest, her nails digging into his skin. He flicked his thumb back and forth, dragging it across her clit, rubbing, flicking. Her breath left her on a gasp and her eyes fluttered closed; dark lashes dancing against her cheeks.  
  
He slid his hand up high across her chest and fit it around the back of her neck, pulling her down to him.  
  
Just as their faces were level, he slid two fingers inside her and curved them.  
  
Her eyes opened wide and met his. As her mouth fell open on a silent gasp, he sucked her top lip between his, nipping gently. Her panting breath met his chin, along with a keening noise of desperation. "Noah…" She gripped his shoulders tight in her hands. "What  _long_ fingers you have…" Their noses bumped and she sucked on his tongue, curling her fingers against his neck.  
  
He could feel her flexing around his fingers, wet and hot and so, so tight.  
  
"Better to tease you with," he murmured as he drew his fingers out only to rub random, spiraling patterns all over her folds, dipping inside and drawing away each time she clenched around him, desperate for more. He drew figure 8's, and his name – Noah, never Puck-, and NYC. He could feel her legs shaking against his sides, the fur of her boots tickling his thighs. She wiggled, her nipples rubbing against him, her chest heaving.  
  
He slid a hand down her back, the very tips of his fingers sliding lightly along the gentle curve of her spine, before finally wrapping around the flair of her ass and squeezing. She arched her hips down and his dick slid along her slowly. His breath caught in his throat. So hot, so fucking hot. And wet; Jesus Christ, she was so wet for him.  
  
Moaning, she pushed herself back to feel it again. Biting at his lips, she grinned and said, "My, what a big cock you have…"  
  
His fingers sunk inside of her as he rasped, "The better to  _fuck_ you with."  
  
"Mmm…" She drew back from him and shook her head. "Not just yet…" She wiggled her way down his body. "I haven't eaten you… And this wolf happens to be very hungry."  
  
"Later. After," he argued. Having her naked and willing was hard enough as it was; he was a little concerned he wouldn't last through her tongue.  
  
"That's not how the story goes," she reminded, pouting her lips before she dropped her face down to kiss down his stomach.  
  
"We're re-writing the story, remember?" He grabbed her hands and drew her back up. "No hunter to cockblock… Lots of time to eat me up after…" He squeezed her thighs and settled her back on his stomach. "Right now, I wanna be inside you…" He tapped her knee. "Grab my jeans."  
  
She leaned back, showing off her incredible flexibility, which he planned to put to the test later, and returned with his jeans, brows furrowed.  
  
His hands were still shaking as he dug through his pocket, and he silently cursed how much he wanted this that he probably looked pathetically nervous. Finally, he retrieved the condom he always kept handy.  
  
"I have more in my basket, hidden carefully in the bottom," she told him, but still took the condom from his outstretched fingers, tore it open with her teeth, and started rolling it on him.  
  
"Wait… You were just walking around with a bunch of desserts and condoms this whole time?"  
  
She grinned at him. "I told you. I planned this. Maybe not the rain or your slightly hurtful first rejection, but I figured it wouldn't be too hard to tempt you my way…" She rubbed her hands along his hipbones. "I happen to find role play a healthy additive to any sex life…"  
  
"How'd you know I'd be into it?"  
  
She raised an amused brow.  
  
Okay, point taken.  
  
Still… "What if nana didn't take the bait and stayed home?"  
  
"I had a back-up plan…" She grinned. "There are very few people in your life that you'd do anything to please. So all I had to do was get on Connie's good side, encourage  _her_ to encourage  _you_ to see the potential in Puckleberry once more, or at least plant a seed, and hopefully it wouldn't be too long until you started to see me as less of a friend and more girlfriend material…" She shrugged. "Also, I ran ahead of you to make sure she'd already left, and when she had, I circled back to walk with you."  
  
Well, that explained some of those weird rustling sounds…  
  
He kneaded her thighs, staring up at her, brow quirked. "You did all this to date me again?"  
  
She nodded slowly.  
  
"You couldn't just… ask me out?"  
  
She pursed her lips. "Where's the fun in that?" She shook her head. "I wanted our reunion to be exciting and sexy and… You have to admit, even when I brought up that I might have feelings for you in the woods, you immediately started looking for excuses."  
  
He frowned.  
  
"I needed your guard to be down, so you wouldn't make excuses or let a misguided promise to Finn keep us from reaching our full potential."  
  
He blinked. "You're crazy."  
  
She shrugged. "I have  _unique_ techniques," she adapted.  
  
He snorted. "And you're crazy…"  
  
Her eyes fell, uncertainty suddenly showing.  
  
Shaking his head, he lifted up onto his elbows. Smirking, he told her. "I like it."  
  
Her brows hiked, eyes meeting his. "Really?"  
  
He nodded, reaching up to tug on her hair. "It's kinda cool… That'd you try that hard… Just for me."  
  
Lips curving in a smile, she leaned over him. "You were worth it," she said, dipping her head down to meet his lips.  
  
While she was kissing him, teeth teasing his lips, her hand reached down between them and gripped his shaft, pumping twice before she finally guided him in as she sunk down onto his cock.  
  
She moved slowly, almost  _too_ slow; he had to fight the urge to arch his hips up and fill her completely. Instead, he gritted his teeth and savored every hot inch of her wrapping around him, his fingers digging into her legs hard enough to probably bruise. When she was finally seated completely, she didn't move, just flexing and adapting to the feel of him. He could feel her breasts against him, pebbled nipples rubbing against his chest with each sharp breath she took.  
  
He squeezed her thigh before he started moving, slowly at first, rolling his hips. She took his cue and started lifting herself off him, rocking and twisting, circling her hips as she road him. When she felt him try and flip them over, she pinned his shoulders down and bit at his neck. "I'm the wolf," she told him, soothing his skin with her tongue. Remembering how she always fought to be on top when they were making-out, he simply grinned, relenting control;  _for now_ .  
  
His hands wandered everywhere he could reach; squeezing and kneading her soft, tanned skin. He plucked and rolled her nipples, cupping her tits in his palms. She covered them with her hands and leaned into his touch, rising up on her knees until just the tip of him was inside her, and taking only an inch or two into her before she'd raise back up again. It was torture; an awesome kind of painfully great torture.  
  
Sweat broke out over their skin; he could feel her legs sliding against his sides, her fur boots sticking to his skin. His hands glided along her body easily; the curve of her back, the flair of her hips, the soft expanse of her thighs. He wanted to touch her everywhere; memorize every inch of skin. The back of her knee that made her moan; the ticklish part of her ribs; all of it.  
  
She tasted salty; her lips, her neck, her pretty little tits. He leaned up on his elbows and sucked heart and star shaped hickeys all over her, paying precise dedication to the space between her boobs.  
  
She came twice while she road him, her nails digging into his biceps as she shook and gasped his name. He took advantage of the moment to turn her over on her back. Hands beneath her knees, he pushed them back to her shoulders as he pumped into her, harder and faster. Her chest arched up and her head fell back, neck strained, short, panting whimpers leaving her mouth. Her hair was tangled, spread out around her or clinging to her slick, shiny skin.  
  
"Noah, Noah, Noah," she chanted, shaking her head as he fucked her.  
  
He slid a hand down and rubbed her clit, his strokes becoming jagged and out of sync as he felt his body tighten up. He panted harshly, right on the edge as he felt her quiver and tighten around him. She dragged her hand down his stomach before she scraped her nails across his hip bone.  
  
"Please.  _Please_ ."  
  
Her name left him on a cracked shout. Her legs reached out and wrapped around him, soft fur boots rubbing and bumping against his ass. His hips kept moving, kept pumping forward as he came. He swore, for a second there, he nearly blacked out. Instead, as he came down, he slipped forward, resting heavily on top of her, elbows biting down hard into the floor on either side of her shoulders. He could feel her still fluttering around him, her boots digging into his back as she climaxed. Her nails tore at his shoulders, her breath stuck in her throat. Finally, her legs loosened and she fell back against the floor.  
  
His cheek laid against her shoulder, eyes half closed, as he panted thickly. He buried a hand in her hair and wound it in his fingers, thumb rubbing against shiny, silken brown strands, no energy left in him do much more than that.  
  
Her hands rose up and dragged down his 'hawk, one after the other, scrubbing her nails down his neck.  
  
He could hear her heart hammering beneath his ear; it was kind of soothing.  
  
"Noah…?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"This means you won't let Finn stand in our way now, right?"  
  
He turned his head, pressing a kiss to her damp skin. "Finn who?"  
  
He didn't look, but he knew she was smiling. So was he.  
  
Eventually, he gathered enough strength to climb off her, throw out the condom, clean up, and find that chocolate sauce and the forgotten strawberries.  
  
As they sat before the fire snacking, he raised a brow at her. "Next time I get to be the wolf."  
  
She grinned at him, her dark hair tangled around her shoulders and her expression one of pure mischief. "We'll see." She held out a chocolate dipped strawberry for him and he sunk his teeth into it, before reaching past her to dip his fingers in the dark sauce. Swiping them across her lips, he kissed them clean and then smirked. "This is gonna be fun," he decided.  
  
She nodded. "And it's bound to become a great stress-reliever when we're in New York."  
  
"You'll probably have a bunch of costumes from all your acting gigs," he said, face lighting up.  
  
"Tons," she agreed.  
  
He turned to look at her, head tipped, lips pressed in a firm line. "You're sure I'm who you want?" He shook his head. "'Cause I'm always down for a good time, but my track record as a boyfriend is for shit…" He stared at her searchingly. "It'll suck, bad, but I'd get it if you wanted this to be casual…" His eyes fell, jaw ticking. "You don't know who's in New York, y'know? And I…" He licked his lips. "I've wanted this for a really damn long time…"  
  
Rachel crawled into his lap and took his shoulders, squeezing. "Noah…" She raised a brow, her smile light and knowing. "What I feel for you is not, and will never be,  _purely_ physical…" She shook her head. "The reason I'm so comfortable doing this with you is because I trust you and I…" Her eyes fell. "Because I feel adored and treasured and respected when I'm with you…" She cupped his cheek, her thumb rubbing back and forth. "Yes, I may have made this whole thing a lot more complicated than necessary, but…" She shrugged. "Instead of writing off my crazy and my planning, you accepted it, and that really only proves that you and I make so much sense together." She smiled. "I want to explore this with you. And I want you to be open to all of it. I don't want you to think that this is an experiment or that I'm just wasting time until I go back to Finn. Because I'm  _done_ with him… What I want is this and you, right now, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen."  
  
He stared at her a long moment, before finally squeezing her hips. "Okay."  
  
She grinned widely. "Good… Now." She sat back. "I believe you said I could get to the eating part later." She wiggled her eyebrows. "I plan to use my time as wolf very wisely."  
  
He laughed, but it was cut short when she ducked her head down to take him in her mouth, and he became very aware of her lack of gag reflex.  
  
"Always wolf," he muttered, eyes rolling back into his head. "You can always be the wolf."  
  
[ **End.** ]


End file.
